What Matters More
by Princess-Meru
Summary: Kurama has been sent to Israel on a mission, only the team doesn't know what that mission is. They are now stuck solving something that almost isn't there, and trying to help the host who seems to be in control of everything.
1. Prologue

Meru: (Runs around in circles, flapping wings) I CAN FLY!!!  
  
Zorra: Care to stop that?  
  
Meru: (falls over) oooooooo pretty stars!  
  
Apolla: It would be nice if you took this seriously.  
  
Meru: (stands up) Sorry, I'll stop. Anyways, welcome to my new fic, What Matters More! I had been planning this for a while, so I hope it turns out all right.  
  
Zorra: I doubt it.  
  
Circe: WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?  
  
Zorra: It means I have no faith in her writing skills.  
  
Meru: Oh, you're nice.  
  
Apolla: Now, now. Settle down.  
  
Meru: Can't I kill her, please?  
  
Apolla: No.  
  
Meru and Circe: Aaaaaaaaw. Poo.  
  
Kenji: (Pulls out a piece of paper) Ahem. Meru does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or I will remember you by Sarah McLachlan. (Puts away the paper and bows)  
  
Meru: (Hugs Kenji) I'm so proud!  
  
Kenji: (Blushes)  
  
Meru: Anyways, on with the show.  
  
----  
  
*I will remember you  
  
Will you remember me  
  
don't let your life pass you by  
  
weep not for the memories*  
  
Kurama stared out the window, unable to concentrate on his homework. How could he? Ever since him and his friends had defeated Yakumo, he could hardly concentrate on anything. All he could think about was his friend, Kuronue. Could Kuronue have escaped, just like he did? Or did he die? He could always have asked Koenma if Kuronue's soul had passed on, but what if it hadn't?  
  
*Remember the good times that we had  
  
Let them slip away from us when things got bad  
  
Well clearly I first saw you smiling in the sun  
  
I wanna feel your warmth on me I wanna be the one*  
  
Things like these had been tormenting him for so long that the rest of the team had begun to worry, not that it mattered. It's not like his battle skills had gotten any worse. For the most part, they had actually improved. That didn't fix things though, being strong never brings a person back from the dead, or at least not in most circumstances.  
  
*I will remember you  
  
Will you remember me  
  
don't let your life pass you by  
  
weep not for the memories*  
  
Kurama still remembered every single raid they had done, every single thing they stole. Every inside joke was told in his mind, but instead of making him laugh, they made tears well up in his eyes.  
  
*I'm so tired but I can't sleep  
  
Standing on the edge of something much too deep  
  
It's funny how I feel so much but cannot say a word  
  
Through we are screaming inside or we cannot be heard*  
  
"Hn. Still dwelling on that, aren't you?"  
Kurama looked up to see Hiei sitting on his bed. "How did you get in here?" but he answered his own question when he looked at the open window. "Oh."  
"You should stop thinking about the" Hiei said "it only brings misery and regret, and no one can travel back in time." Hiei and come to the conclusion that he shouldn't be there, so he disappeared, going back from where he came.  
Kurama could only look at the open window, and keep on thinking, until eventually he dozed off.  
  
*I'm so tired but I can't sleep  
  
Standing on the edge of something much too deep  
  
It's funny how I feel so much but cannot say a word  
  
Through we are screaming inside or we cannot be heard*  
  
He dreamed of Kuronue too, of the memories. He dreamed of their final mission, where they both had lost their lives.  
  
*I will remember you  
  
Will you remember me  
  
don't let your life pass you by  
  
weep not for the memories*  
  
He woke up in his room, sitting on his desk, his homework stained with tears that were released during the night. Hiei was right, he shouldn't be dwelling on the past, but he couldn't help it. He missed Kuronue and the friendship they once had. He wasn't going to go to school today, he felt sick.  
  
*I'm so afraid to love you more afraid to lose  
  
Clinging to the past that doesn't let me choose  
  
Once there was darkness a deep and endless night  
  
You gave me everything you had you gave me light*  
  
"Shuichi, are you alright," Shiori, Kurama's human mother, knocked on his door.  
"I'm not feeling so great, can I stay home?"  
"Of coarse," Shuichi Minamino never lied, so she trusted him. "I'm going to work, if you need anything just call my cell phone." He heard the front door shut and his mother's car drive away.  
He needed to take a shower and wash away what he was feeling. When he came out of the shower, he changed and left his house to go to the spirit world, he was going to talk to Koenma.  
  
*I will remember you  
  
Will you remember me  
  
Don't let your life pass you by  
  
Weep not for the memories*  
  
He walked into Koenma's office. "Hello Koenma, I have a favor to ask."  
"Sure, anything."  
"Do..." he couldn't ask it, so he asked for something else, "Have you by chance put away in your files, a pendant on a dark metal chain? The pendant has a blood red stone on it. Have you seen it?" That pendant had belonged to Kuronue, and he knew it had been locked up after the final burglary.  
"Yes, I had, but I recently got rid of it. I gave it to someone, since it didn't seem needed. Sorry," Koenma made eye contact with Kurama, easily doing so in his teenage form "Why?"  
Kurama looked at the ground, feeling a bit depressed, "Nothing," and he walked away.  
  
*Weep not for the memories...*  
  
----  
  
Meru: Well, that's the first chappie. Now all the complex soap opera plots come in. ^-^  
  
Zorra: The next chapters will give you the biggest headache you're bound to ever get.  
  
Meru: Well, not exactly...Well, not the next chapter anyway, maybe the on after that.... BUT YAY!!  
  
Circe: We hope you continue to read this fic.  
  
Meru: And that you like it.  
  
Kenji: (Pulls out another piece of paper) R and R people (puts it away and bows again).  
  
Apolla: (Pats Kenji on the head) Good job.  
  
Kenji: (Smiles cutely).  
  
Meru; KAWAII!!!  
  
Zorra: I worry about him sometimes.  
  
Meru: Don't worry, he just has memory issues, so I gave him a script. (I have long-term memory issues)  
  
Zorra: Riiiiiiiiiiiiight O_O 


	2. Chapter 1

Meru: HI EVERYONE!!  
  
Apolla: She just got home from a two week trip to Israel.  
  
Meru: It was amazing!!  
  
Zorra: It's amazing your room mates survived.  
  
Meru: Oh zip it. So, because of that, this story will take place in Israel. . . well, for the most part anyway. None of the people except for Elinor are real (I stayed with Elinor on my trip, so this is one of my many "thank you"s.). The Reali school is a real school in Haifa (I'm debating whether it's a public school or a private one). The basic itinerary is the same as the one I did, so you'll pretty much know what I did (Even though they're in japan, I'm basing their flight off of mine anyway).  
  
Circe: Didja miss us?  
  
Kenji: Did you miss me?  
  
Meru: I missed everyone but Zorra.  
  
Zorra: Sadly you came back to me anyway.  
  
Meru: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Aura though. Well. . . Enjoy!!!  
  
***  
  
"Have everything?" Koenma asked in front of Genkai's temple.  
"Yes," Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara answered in unison. Hiei gave a curt nod.  
They were finally going. They were going on the trip they had been looking forward to since Koenma had told them about it. It was an organized group trip to Israel. Each of them had the sneaking suspicion that there was a mission sewn into their vacation, but they hid that worry under their excitement.  
Kurama had come to accept the fact that his friend was never coming back, and that nothing of his had remained. It did trouble him from time to time, but he didn't bother showing it anymore. He had come to the conclusion that it was time to move on.  
"Yusuke and Kuwabara, for the first four days you'll be staying with Elinor Glazer. Kurama and Hiei, you're with Aura Cherubino. You will be going with them to their school, Reali, and will meet Botan or Ogre there. They will be telling you what to do from there."  
Suddenly a limo drove up and stopped right at the base of the stairs. Botan came out of the door in a driver's suit. "Come on boys, let's go!"  
Keiko, Yukina, and Genkai waved as the team gathered their suitcases and got into the car.  
  
---  
  
When they arrived at the airport, they immediately were shoved into a line. Hiei was first to make it to the first officer.  
"Passport please," a man with a stony face said. Hiei wordlessly handed it to him. Kurama had taken him to get a passport just the other day, so the guards shouldn't give him too much trouble. "Hiei Jaganshi. . . What is the origin of your last name?"  
Hiei gave him a questioning glare, "I chose it."  
The guard sighed wearily for a moment before continuing. "What is your country of origin?"  
"Makai,"  
The guard looked angry. "Be serious. These questions are for security reasons."  
"Japan" Hiei answered and then thought: 'Stupid Ningen.'.  
"Do you have any weapons with you?"  
"Yes."  
"Please remove them."  
"No."  
"You must remove them under the law."  
"And if I refuse?"  
"Your weapons will be confiscated anyhow."  
"I'd like to see you try."  
Kurama, overhearing the little chat, ran up, spoke with guard using the excuse of mental retardation of Hiei's actions, and then guided Hiei along.  
  
---  
  
Once everyone had made it through the interviews, metal detectors, baggage checks, and receiving of tickets, they went to the waiting section.  
"A FIVE HOUR DELAY!?" Yusuke exclaimed after looking at his ticket, "WE'LL BE LEAVING AT ONE IN THE MORNING!!!"  
"Yusuke, sit down," Kurama whispered, "We're in a public place."  
A group of girls from an American school were staring at Kurama and Hiei, drooling a river. The only girl who wasn't drooling walked over to the small group. "Oh, are you on our flight as well?"  
"I don't know, is your flight number zero zero two?" Yusuke asked.  
"Yeah, the one that's delayed five hours." She tugged subconciously at her chestnut brown ponytail, and averted her hazel eyes. "I hate long flights."  
"Why are you on this trip?"  
"I'm here with my school. I'm returning home because I was a transfer there, but the others are there on a study tour."  
Kuwabara noticed her at this point and skipped over to her "Hello, I am Kazuma Kuwabara. Would you go out on a date with me?"  
"Sorry, I'm not looking for anyone at this point in time."  
Everyone stared in shock. A girl had just politely turned down Kuwabara. If anything, that was a historical moment.  
"Well, I have to be getting back to my group now. So long!" As she walked back to her group, she winked at a boy with short black hair. He came over, sat down, and pulled her into his lap while she began to toy with a pendant hanging from his neck.  
  
---  
  
"Nine thousand nine hundred forty two bottles of beer on the wall, nine thousand nine hundred forty two bottles of beer," Kuwabara sang in a flat tone.  
"Will you be quiet numb skull? You've been singing that for the past hour," Hiei interjected.  
"Take one down pass it around,"  
"Shut up," he muttered.  
"Nine thousand nine hundred forty one bottles of beer on the wall."  
"DIE!" Hiei pounced on Kuwabara and started strangling him.  
Yusuke came to intervene, "Hold up you two. You'll make a scene."  
"I DON'T CARE!" and Hiei continued to strangle him until he got dragged off by security.  
  
---  
"One thousand three hundred twenty five bottles of beer on the wall," Kuwabara sang.  
"I think I'm starting to see why Hiei attacked him," Kurama said in his usual calm voice.  
"You're only just starting?" was all Yusuke could reply.  
Kurama looked from side to side "What happened to Hiei anyway? He's been gone for two hours."  
"I think he's still giving security a hard time."  
"Take one down pass it around."  
Then they saw some security guards walking back. Hiei, in hand cuffs, was shoved into Kurama. "I suggest you take better care of this little demon."  
"Of coarse sir," Kurama stuttered.  
"He gave us a heck of a lot of trouble."  
"Never again sir."  
"Never again is right," Hiei mumbled, "if again, they won't live to tell about it."  
"Hiei!" Kurama gasped, then turned to the guards. "I really am sorry."  
The guards stomped off, leaving the group to stare at Hiei, all except for Kuwabara who was still singing. "One thousand three hundred twenty four bottles of beer on the wall." Kurama and Yusuke had to hold Hiei back.  
  
---  
  
After two more hours, a voice echoed through the airport, "Flight zero zero two will now be boarding."  
"'Bout time," Yusuke said while everyone picked up their things.  
Kuwabara, after standing up and gathering his luggage, looked around with a confused expression, "Where did that voice loud come from?"  
  
***  
  
Meru: Hope you liked this chapter.  
  
Kenji: There's more to come soon.  
  
Zorra: Oh joy. . . 


	3. Chapter 2

Meru: Mwahaha. I return!

Zorra: (monotone) I'm so happy I could gag.

Meru: Shut up now!

Zorra: Make me! (Jumps on her and starts scratching her)

Circe, Apolla & Kenji: (appear out of nowhere)

Circe: Since Meru-Chan and Zorra-Kun are busy, Apolla-Sempai and Kenji-Kun will do the disclaimers.

Apolla: Aren't children so sweet? (smiles sweetly) So anyway, Meru-Chan would like to apologize for the fact that she has been busy.

Zorra: (looks up from fight) She and Kenji were-

Kenji: (covers her mouth) Don't lie.

Apolla: Anyway, she just has been so swamped with work that writing was the last thing on her mind.

Kenji: Now, before we get this started, we have a few announcements. What Matters More was brought to you by Hikari Productions. Musing for fine writers everywhere. When you need an idea, just contact Hikari Productions.

Circe: Fan fiction dot net, hosting every fan fic-

Meru: looks up from fight) except for self insertion, CYOA, author insertion, and super hentai (gets punched)

Circe: Everywhere.

Apolla: And lastly, this fan fiction was written by Merusa, who does not own YYH, hosted by us, and written for you. Thank you.

* * *

"WHAT?!" Hiei nearly drew his katana, but Kurama held him back just in time. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO SIT NEXT TO THE BAKA!"

"Hey! I'm not an idiot! TAKE THAT BACK," Yusuke then held back Kuwabara.

"I'm sorry," Kurama said as calmly as his nerves would allow "but that's what your ticket says. I'm sitting on my own and Yusuke will be sitting behind you, so you wont be alone."

"WHAT? You mean I have to be MEDITATOR?!" He nearly let go of Kuwabara.

"Mediator, Yusuke," Kurama sighed and went to his seat by the window, leaving the three of them to duke it out.

Hiei growled as Yusuke let go of Kuwabara "Listen, I don't want to have to deal with you, so I suggest that you leave me alone while on this flight."

"Glady!" and with that, Kuwabara pushed into his seat and prepared himself for the long flight.

---

Kurama looked out of the window of the plane, trying to find some peace in the clouds. He was so sick of his friends and their immaturity. It has been hard to be the only one that is calm enough to handle the whole team. He was sick of the fights between Yusuke and Kuwabara, and Hiei and Kuwabara. He was sick of Yusuke restlessness, Hiei's violence, and Kuwabara's sincere stupidity. Before, when he was with his old partner, things had been different. They had been so compatable, so similar yet so different.

"Excuse me...." Kurama snapped out of his reverie "Are your friends sitting here?"

"Oh, hello," he smiled, it was the girl from earlier "No, my friends are sitting over on the other side of the plane."

"That's good," the boy she had been with said. How strange, Kurama hadn't realized the boy was there. "Otherwise our tickets would have been wrong, and then where would we sit?"

"Yes, I suppose that would be a problem," he gestured his arm for them to sit, and so the girl sat next to him while the boy sat on her other side. "So, are you happy to return to Israel?"

"Yeah, completely." she was grinning from ear to ear "I loved Japan, but going back is what I really need. Don't you think so Brian?" she turned to the boy.

"I suppose," he smiled, and Kurama was sure he saw a blush appear on the boy's lips.

---

One hour in, Yusuke was finally getting comfortable. He had just eaten his dinner, and he was now watching an action movie. Except for the awkward feeling of being on a plane, he was very at ease. The gel in his hair had worn off, and he was in pajamas he had packed for the ride.

"'Scuse me misser," a little boy said, "but my mommy's missin' so wouldja please watch my sissa." Stupid kid, why was this little boy asking him? But he was so cute, with big blue eyes and light blond curly hair. Yusuke was a sucker for kids. Hey, hadn't he died for one?

He picked up the little girl, who was a clone of her older brother. She looked about two or three, and seemed extremely giggly. "You're not so bad," and he grinned slyly at the toddler. The little girl smiled as he pulled her close to nuzzle her nose, and then she attacked. Her strong little fingers grabbed his hair.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"Honey, where's your sister?" Yusuke stopped moving when he saw a woman in a suit standing by the little boy.

"I gave him to da nice man 'cus you weren't der." He looked so proud of himself.

But she looked furious, "I went to the bathroom. I told you was going there."

"I dun remember dat, I was playing my game boy." Never give a little boy a game boy.

Yusuke stayed frozen until the mother saw him and came stomping over, "listen, please let go." He smiled as nicely as he could, but obviously the mother took it the wrong way.

"UNHAND MY CHILD THIS INSTANT!" she left a palm mark that rivaled Keiko's on the teen's cheek before walking back with her daughter.

"You're an idiot detective," Hiei's voice whispered from the seat in front of his.

---

Three hours had passed since the plane had taken off, and Kuwabara had fallen asleep only a few minutes ago. Hiei sat content with his ice cream, staring at a screen playing movies in Hebrew. He understood them better than Japanese anyway. He was going to the origin. Every demon knew Hebrew, it was their original language, just as it was the humans.

The little box was telling the story of a little fish who was taken from his father, human sentimental trash, but it was all that was decent. The movie was called "Losing Fabio," or something like that. It was almost painful to watch, but the sweet snow was softening him up.

But then the worst thing possible happened. Kuwabara rolled over, draping his arm around Hiei and knocking the precious vanilla treasure to the ground. The arm trapped him to the seat, and Kuwabara slowly pulled Hiei in like a precious teddy bear.

"No... no... you knocked my sweet snow away. My sweet snow... Let me go." Hiei couldn't move, and try as he might, he couldn't move Kuwabara's arm. It was probably the altitude interfering with his strength, that or the fact that the ice cream that had been murdered was his twenty third bowl. "Wake up you idiot!" Even the dead sleepers awoke to this shout, but Kuwabara still didn't budge. "I SAID WAKE UP!" Yusuke, who was watching this whole thing with great amusement figured that the last sentence woke up sleepers all the way in America.

---

"I feel bad for her," said the boy after the five hours silence since the plane had taken off.

The emerald eyed boy sat up to look at the stranger named Brian, "Huh?"

"Sorry, just thinking to myself. I do that when I space out." Brian had a nice smile, pleasant and mischievous at the same time, and it was small, as if he never smiled before.

"It's fine, I do that too sometimes. It is terrible when one doesn't have friends," Kurama smiled back. "So, why do you feel bad for her."

He sighed "She's so beautiful, and kind to everyone around her, but she has the worst luck. Her mother and father passed away, leaving her as her brother's guardian. She has never had any friends because she just doesn't have the time, but she's always helping people around her. She spends more time on others than herself."

"Oh," Kurama had never really noticed how pretty she was before. She seemed so delicate and serene, as if she was the purest piece of glass on the shelf. There was a bit of a shadow under her eyes, contrasting against the fullness of her lips. He resisted the urge to run his finger along her jawline. "Poor, precious girl. So, are you two together?"

"Who? Us? No," he blushed again, "Although I wouldn't complain. She's so nice, and I've known her since forever. I even live with her now."

He liked her. He would obviously date her if given the choice, it was half hidden in his eyes."Really?"

"Yes, Aura needed a friend." Brian looked up startled "Oh, I never told you our names. I'm Brian, and this is my friend Aura."

Hebrew... it related to a word in Hebrew. What was it? "Or... that means light in Hebrew?"

"Yes, you know Hebrew? I wouldn't imagine a Japanese..."

Kurama chuckled "Yes, well, I'm a bit rusty. My relatives and friends used to speak it. My name is Shuichi." They shook hands.

---

"Yusuke, who do I call to clean this mess?" Hiei was in a panic, still being stuck under Kuwabara, and watching his precious ice cream as it became a puddle.

"The flight attendant. Haven't you ever been on a plane?"

"And how exactly do I summon this attendant?" he said, resisting the urge to punch him.

Yusuke sighed "There's a button on you're arm rest. The one with a person on it. Press it."

"Hn." He pushed down on the button and heard a bell. A young blond girl in a navy uniform came down the aisle. "Pick this up."

The girl hadn't looked at him once, and without a sound, pulled a rag out and mopped up the ice cream. "There you go sir," when she saw Hiei, she turned pink.

"Why are you looking-" A muffled gasp was heard next to him, and Hiei sudenly had the ability to move.

"Hello beautiful maiden, I am Kazuma Kuwabara and I am-" And just as Kuwabara had cut Hiei off, Hiei cut Kuwabara off with the punch to the head.

"Don't be so fickle, idiot."

The blond ignored the red head, and reached out for Hiei, "Who... who are you."

"Go away," he reajusted himself, but she still moved closer until... "Why are you in my lap?"

"You're cute," she smiled.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" And he ran as fast as his feet would carry him.

The attendant started crying "Coooome baaaaaaaaaack!"

---

Finally the flight was over, and the Tantei was checking into Israel. All around there were palm trees and fountains. Kurama couldn't help thinking that this was the nicest airport he had been to. Ben-Gurion air port was so high-tech, and yet so rural. It was unexplainable.

"Okay guys, time to go through." They each went through their respective desks, but once again, Hiei was having trouble.

"Excuse me sir, but it seems that your seat had a broken television screen when you exited the plane."

"Hn. You're servant girl wouldn't let me rest, so I tried to punch her but she ducked so I hit the screen. No big loss though, it kept playing the same thing over and over anyway," he sounded as if he was proud of himself. How stupid could the miniature demon be?

"Sir, you will have to pay for it, and for mistreating our service."

Kurama, in panic, ran to save Hiei once more, "Bill it to Underworld Insurance Agency," and he guided Hiei on.

Once, through, the whole group gathered their bags and moved on to the exit. "Hey, who's running transportation?" Kuwabara, curious as always, had asked a very good question, but once they reached the parking lot, the answer was right in front of them.

"I guess they are," Yusuke said, wide eyed, pointing at a huge spectacle. It said "WELCOME TO ISRAEL DETECTIVES!" "Wow," Yusuke gasped "could Koenma be just a bit more subtle?"

"Of coarse not!" This boy with blond, straight, short hair and green eyes appeared behind them. "Hello, I am Baruch. I'm assuming you are the Japanese Underworld Detectives."

Yusuke gave his biggest smile and a peace sign "The one and only."

"Good, good. Now, could you please step inside the bus? We really must be going."

As the gang entered the oversized automobile, their eyes widened in awe. It was a huge room, with everything on it, and just as entertaining as any plane ride. There were TVs and video games and phones and radios attatched to every seat. There were spaces where walls could be set up between seats. It was a road trip paradise.

"And how are we to pay for this?" Yusuke asked "We're not exactly made of money."

"No, no, of course not. Your host is paying for it all." Baruch gave a big smile and then moved to the drivers seat.

"Wow, what a neat host. It would be even better if she is a hottie. Is she?"

"I suppose it's all in what you're looking for in a person."

---

After a crazy, dangerous, car sickening bus ride to Haifa, they finally arrived. It was around six o'clock and the sun was just setting. When the bus pulled up to a mansion, the only person who wasn't surprised by the house was surprised for another reason. A boy with black hair and a girl with long brown hair were standing by the door. Kurama sunk down in his chair and closed his eyes, praying it was all just his imagination.

There was a tapping on the glass "Yo, are you Shuichi?" A boy with chestnut hair and chocolate eyes was knocking on the door. He looked about eleven.

"Yes, I am he."

"Cool, well, my sister wants to meetcha. Might wanna get out of the car."

With trepidation, the fox stood up in his most dignified way possible, and did his best to exit without looking as if about to faint.

"So, I was so excited to meet the great team and I had already met them. That doesn't seem fair," Aura was grinning from ear to ear.

"Woah, you're that hot girl from the airport," Kuwabara was beginning to drool.

"No duh, dork," Yusuke dope-slapped him, smirking.

She giggled "Anyway, this is my brother, Seth Cherubino. As you can guess, I'm Aura Cherubino. This is my friend, Brian Cohen. You've met Baruch, my..." she paused for a moment as she caught Baruch's glare "I was gonna say butler, but you can call him... a... a little extra help. Anyway, Eli should be here any minute to pick you two up," she gave Yusuke and Kuwabara a look.

"About that Ms. Cherubino.... um... Ms. Glazer called and said she would be out of town on buisiness, so she can't handle a guest at the present time." Baruch was almost grinning.

"Alrighty then, the more the merrier," she gave another huge grin. Kurama looked at Baruch and Brian and noticed they were frowning in pity. "Okay, Baruch, how about you show Mr. Kuwabara and Mr. Urameshi to the Wind and Water wings. You decide which suits which best. Mr. Jaganshi, if you don't mind, will share the fire wing with my brother. Mr. Minamino, you can share the Earth wing with Brian."

There was a murmur of agreement from all but Brian "I think I should remain in your wing."

"Oh no, that is far from necessary." She looked as if she were to cry at any moment. "Everyone should be sharing a wing with someone, so no one can get lost."

"But we're staying alone," interjected Yusuke.

"Oh, no you're not. The water wing contains the infirmary, so the nurses are always there. The Wind wing has the child center, so there are plenty in that department. Now, it's best we split up for the tour."

The house was a lot bigger than it seemed. On the outside it looked like a castle, but on the inside it was a city. There was the main wing, and from there it moved into a square, and each side had a different wing. It was so easy to get lost that Kurama was pretty sure Aura almost didn't know where she was going.

Kurama's room was decorated with plants and vines. The sheets were colored gold and the walls green. It was the sort of room Kurama dreamed of, because for a moment, he forgot he was in a room at all, and that he wasn't in a forest all together. Right before Kurama was about to sleep, Brian came into his room.

He spoke in choppy sentences at first, "So... everything alright?"

"Better than alright, this place is amazing," and he really meant it. "I have a few questions though. The first is, where did Baruch go?"

"Oh," Brian breathed a sigh of relief and sat on a nearby chair "He doesn't live here. He goes home every day."

"So you live here?"

"I moved in after Aura's parents died," he began to look upset.  
"Why?"

"I used to live in a cottage nearby. I had run away from my family, and I refused to go back. Every day, Aura would bring me something to eat, and once in a while would invite me over. She never told me to go home, and her doors were always open to me. After her parents passed away, she needed support, so I moved in with her. I bring in half the income by doing some after school jobs."

Kurama could tell the subject was a bit dampening, so he changed the subject "Do you know why we're here?"

"I talked to Yusuke about this. We know as much as you, which is exactly nothing. I was just told you were here on research, but when you don't know what you're researching, that makes things kind of hard."

Kurama laughed "I'm sure we'll hear from our employer sooner or later."

Brian stood up "Yeah. Look, you're probably jet lagged. Go to bed, we'll talk more in the morning. G'night Shuichi."

"Yeah, goodnight Mr. Cohen."

Brian yelled from outside the door "You're not in Japan anymore. Politeness means very little here. Call me Brian."

* * *

Meru: That took me three days to write. Who can tell me why?

Zorra: You were too stupid to think up anything?

Kenji: You have turtle fingers?

Circe: You were too busy?

Apolla: You were lazy like always and fell asleep every two minutes?

Meru: ... You're all grounded.

Apolla: We're all older, you can't ground us.

Meru: I can ground Circe, since she is younger by age to year span average.

Circe: No fair (cries)

Meru: You're too cute when you cry. I give up (slumps away)

Kenji: Thank you for reading, and please review!!!

Meru: (Yelling from far away) If you don't review I shall never POST AGAIN!


End file.
